St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-08

Her statement was corrO5orate q by the
evidence of Mr.. and Mrs. McNeal,
which was of the same general charac-
ter as that III the case of the Waishair
woman, except that McNeal testified
to listening at the keyhole and hearing
suspicious laughing and breathing,
which satisfied him that immoral con
contradicted by Mrs. Beaudry as to
dates. McNeal admitted feelings of i'll
will against Reed, and said that he. hhd,
after the election in 1856, taken legal
advice as to the best way of bringing
charges against Reed.
The committee believes that If MI.
Mcneil and his wife had been IMPROPER
accord with their superior frOnl1the FIRST
there might have been eSS suspicion
and scandal, and the state might have
been spared a hurtful controversy Tlfp
committee sums up as follows: 'srhfs
we believe to be fair Statcmentin sub
stance of the evidence against eX-Wat-
den Reed, and if this were all, we think
that no ease is made, to charge any man,
of ordinary standing, with IMMORAL Ct n-
duet in office. But the evidenee does
not end here. 1t is concedeG onall
sides that as to moral and official char
acter Mr.. Reed, while long, widely and
state, i'll the army as well as in civil life,
has enjoyed a high reputation for
prObity and honor. His evidence, be-
yond what we have recited, and as to
each inculpating statement, is deliber-
ate and specific negative"
MIR. MarSh," says the report, 1.-THE
counsel for the respondent, strongly in
sisted that the statements on which the
investigation is based were procured by
Warden StOrdOck and his subOrdinateS,
for the purpose of njuring Mr.. Reed"
Mr. Marsh gave notice to the committee
of his intention to file charges
AGAINST WARDEN sTORDoCK
for conspiracy to remove Warden Reed
from office, and such charges were in
v0lyed in Mr.. Reed answer. Mr. Marsh
preferred such charges more in detail,
addressed, however, to the board of
prison directors. The governor, learn
ing that such charges had been pre-
ferred, requested the committee, on
Oct. II. to extend its inquiry to cover
ingly gave notice that it was prepared to
investigate these charges, but Mr..
Marsh refused to submit evidence on
the ground that the statute did not
give the committee authority to make as
extended an inquiry as he desired.
Much evidence on this charge of con-
sDiracy was given, however, incident
ally. AS this part of the case, since the
testimony was taken, has been relegated
to the courts, the committee says it
might be excused from reporting OIL it.
But as so much testimony bearing on
this point was put in, the committee
thinks it proper to make reference to it.
The committee says: ''Were we TO give
credit to the evidence of Waishair and
Harriet Burner, while it might not nee
essarily inculpate Warden Stordock. it
would be strongly against the matron
and her husband" The testimony of
the WalShalr woman is uncOrrobOrated
on this point. The testimony of Mrs
Burner is not wholly uncOrrobOrated. 1t
is shown by the testimony of DR.. Pratt,
the.prisOn physician, that Burner tried to
communicate through him what he
terms a conspiracy against Mr.. Reed by
letter to a prison chaplain. The COIN
mittee does not find that there was
conspiracy technically on the part of
Mr.. and Mrs. McNeal, bnt does find that
their conduct i'll the whole matter was
reprehenSible and unjust. AS to Mr..
StOrdOck'S connection
WITH THE CONSPIRACY :
the committee says: ''If he in fact was
caused to believe and did believe these
charges of immortality to be true, or the
charge of misrepresentation of funds to
be well founded, and if he exercised
due care and prudence in acting on that
belief, the fact that the charges are I'M
true might not initiate against HIM;
though, as the facts appear, weAcannot
excuse him from censure in allowing exl
parte affidavitS to be made ana pub
lished before he knew whether; they
were true or false. or at least
had heard what Mr.. Reed had TO say
about them.p Under its instructions 70
examine into the present condition. of
the prison, the committee repdftS. II
from personal inspections. under the.
management of the present warden, In
good condition. From the written re-
ports of the foremep employed by the
contractor the discipline is good. and
even improving. "The food in quality,
quantity, cooking and service they
think all that could be desired. The
accounts are well systematized, the
books carefully kept and the accounts
of petty sales within the stewards de-
partment are now kept and the COM
mittee finds nothing in this department
to take exceptions to.